January 2012 Blog Posts (157)

QR code stand for Quick response code. It is basically a bar code that can quickly allow smart phones or any mobile device that has the application to provide quick easy access to anything on the internet.

This is fast becoming the new thing to put on resumes, business cards etc.

What it does is to easily allow someone to download your contact info, and…

I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you’re frustrated, annoyed, sad, angry, and despite your efforts, still trying to get a new job. I’m writing you this letter so that you’ll understand that it was not my intention to ignore you, leave you hanging, or cost you your dream job. I hate that your application got trapped in the black hole known as our ATS. I apologize for taking 3 days to respond to your email and even longer to call you back. In the interest of giving you a better “candidate experience”…

Most of the times we focused on the negative side of things. If we hear something "bad' happenned to someone (an individual we don't even know most of the time) somewhere in the world, we make sure we pass the information to more people. And now a days, with all the Social Media around us, these "sad stories" travel around fast and they spread like a disease.…

Are you a LinkedIn power user? If you are, you still may be surprised to learn about LinkedIn Labs. LinkedIn Labs is a small set of projects and experimental features built by the employees of LinkedIn. In this episode I focus on two of my favorites: Resume Builder and Hero Connect. I think that both of those apps are incredibly useful to recruiters and job seekers. Click here to download the show…

Everyone wants to be part of Social Media. Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, Marketmesuite, Foursquare, Beknown, Branchout….etc,etc….there are many programs out there. It is fair however, to assume that even the information you place on these sources will be seen by persons other than those to which it was intended.

(please note that everything below this point->.<- is not intended to injure, insult, maim or otherwise impair someone's judgment of right or wrong in the world of…

This post originally appeared on the SkillStorm blog:www.skillstorm.com/blogUpdate: this morning it was anounced that the data will remain on Megaupload's site for two weeks, but access is still denied to users

US prosecutors of file sharing host Megaupload have announced that files may be deleted as…

Entering a new cycle, labor demand in January improved slightly (up 1.0%) compared to December. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics employers added 853,000 jobs to their payrolls in the second half of 2011. During this time online labor demand declined steadily suggesting that open positions were being closed due to the hires but not replaced with additional needs. With January showing already some improvement we expect labor demand to grow over the next months and hopefully exceed…

One of the most popular industries for contract staffing is Information Technology. It is also one of the trickiest to navigate in terms of overtime requirements.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)requires that most employees have to be paid at a rate of 1.5 times their regular pay rate for any hours worked over 40 in a work week. However, the FLSA allows for certain job classifications to be exempt from these overtime regulations. In most cases, in…

I’ve recently moved into the exciting world of providing Temps after a few years’ break & wow – has it changed. Not only because the Agency Workers Regulations that were introduced in October 2011 gives agency workers (temps) entitlement to the same basic employment & working conditions as if they’d been recruited directly. It’s also because I’ve noted that this ‘recession’ is scaring good, strong candidates away from leaving their ‘benefits’ to sign off & work. It was always…

When you are evaluating a new position, one of the first thing you should ask yourself is: What will I get from this job besides a paycheck? There are several things you want to look at as you evaluate new positions.

It is interesting to listen when companies complain they have difficulty attracting candidates from out of state. With a little research, a consultant may easily determine why they are experiencing those problems.

Relocation of candidates requires an understanding of psychology, an understanding that recruitment is a sales process, and a recruitment process that does not interfere with those understandings.

This day is one in which you have the opportunity to till the garden of connections in your work and your life. Today you’ll have the opportunity to nurture existing relationships, and like plants, these need to be fed, nourished, and tended to with care to promote their long-term growth.

Some of your connections may have withered away. Those that cannot be restored have served their purpose and should be set aside, creating space for you to plant the seeds of new relationships.…

Network can be a strong tool when it comes to filling and keeping your pipeline full. Here are couple of tips to capitalize on networking opportunities.

First Impressions

The first impression you make is very important in networking. When you see the opportunity to meet someone new walk up to them with confidence. One of the most important pieces to a good first impression is eye contact, look them in the eye as you approach and speak with them. Put out your hand and…

A man from Cambridge walked into a clothing store. He told the salesclerk "I am looking for a pair of polka dot pants in a size 34". The salesclerk looked at the man oddly and said "I have just the right thing!" and went into the backroom. He came out a few minutes later with a nice pair of khaki pants in a size 34. "Here you are sir, our best pants in a size 34!" The man replied, "indeed, those appear to be nice pants, however, I really need…

Most recruiters, corporate and third party alike have discovered that a candidate’s acceptance does not automatically translate to their start. Many events may occur to prevent the candidate’s transition to employee, particularly if they need to relocate.

Therefore it is important to keep in contact through the period between their acceptance and their start. It is also good for the hiring manager to communicate their excitement that the candidate is joining their team. …

Whether you are working in internal our outside recruiting, when there are too many candidates something is wrong. The problem is that the job specs are off. They are either interpreted and written incorrectly or given incorrectly.

Too many candidates is an enormous time waster and has a numbing effect. Great candidates can be lost in the process. Many times great candidates are left without being reviewed if there are too many. Filling a job is not necessarily…

this is the basic quality check process. you run the finished or intermediate product through a series of filters or checks. If the product goes through, it is passed; if not, it is a reject.

The recruiting approach commonly being adopted by organisations across the globe are uncannily similar. The filters & tests change depending on what the company does and what they are hiring for, but the concept is same. If the candidates pass through all the checks, they…

Here is our weekly feature in which we share the top articles we enjoyed from the past week about recruitment marketing, social recruiting and anything else in the recruiting space. In this article, we’ll be talking about candidate experience, why passion matters, employer branding and social recruiting.

Here are the articles our that interested us this week (in no particular order), enjoy!: